Moss on the Rolling Stone
by Chase Ling Ziao
Summary: Focusing on Sano after he had set off to "find/dig out his own hot spring", at a spa house somewhere up the mountain is where he now works and resides in. Main focus *later*: SanoXRinko THE first from this author; R&R is very welcome
1. Chapter 1

_**--- Enter You Know Who**_

He didn't need the talent to dig anymore. At least, not now.

He had friends who were willing to help him out with his dream, and he was just as willing to help out in the achieving of theirs.

That Ueki was really a genius to think up the talent of finding your friends again. It's as though he knew from the very beginning, it was the most beneficial to the rest of them. Not to bring any offense, but from what was known, he was termed a geek before the tournament. Who'd think that such a quiet kid, who loves playing good cop but in a brash manner, actually had a good head on his shoulders too.

"I still haven't forgotten, Ueki." the man thought to himself. He stood right at the window, looking out at the view of the valley framed by the garden of the hot spring spa house.

A navy blue pattern on his robe set him apart the guests and staff members. He turned from the window of the second floor and made his way to the stairs. A couple of guests and staff members greeted him, as did he. The floors made of strong wood, the light-coloured walls made of concrete, but with traditional sliding doors, little bamboo plants here and there set a relaxing ambience. He descended the only flight of stairs and entered the main hall. This particular hallway he was in now had numerous frames hanging on the wall. Some were certificates, others were news articles, the former owners, and the rest were pictures of famous people who've stayed at the establishment and some associates of the man in the navy blue. Over hearing comments about one's establishment was something any owner was very good at doing:

"...He's a natural..."

"... (murmurs)...He had a lot of friends..."

"...His choice of clothing... (murmurs)"

He laughed a small one to himself. Seeing all of those pictures reminded him of when they were taken and the inside joke within each one.

In the main hallway, everybody passes by. Guests coming from or going to the hot springs, new guests coming in and people checking out, and some people off to play in the sports arcade (they had some video games, a ping pong table, and a billiards table). He now stood at the entrance to the hot springs.

He looked over his shoulder. All the people looked so relaxed and happy. The place was noisy, but it was the calming sort; it wasn't at all like the busy market place, nor was it too quiet, like an individual's hike. It was just right. And tonight, the moon was becoming fuller. The spa house had a special treat for everyone in the next three days: the traditional noodles, made by the cook herself, and sparklers, special themed hair ornaments and fans were added to the regular items in the souvenir stand.

He entered the outdoors and passed through a hall lit with garden lamps, and made by bamboo partitions. There were three hot springs. Two of them are in these partitions, but they were small and could only fit a party of about 16 people. These then were divided into two, and the middle was partitioned off by rocks in the water and by tall bamboo at the surface (AN: The point of the bamboo was to separate the sexes if the party was a big number, but if the party is a single gender and about the same number as the capacity, the bamboo is removable). Apart from being accessible only through reservation, they were elevated by about three feet.

As for the third, it was a large one, and the communal hot spring. This one was at the same height as the main building. Again partitions were used in a similar manner as the ones in the smaller two. These were further divided into two, for the women and for the men. There were stations at the edges of the spring: made of a large, flat, smooth stone. Those were for when the guests had, if they asked for it, massages. It also doubled as a table for drinks and snacks. There were two in each. And also, in the halves, there were complementary fountains. They were, at least, by design.

The man in navy blue exited the hall and went down a couple of steps and into the path around the communal spring. A staff member who was checking all the springs spotted the man. He went over and greeted his boss with a smile.

"The usual, sir?"

"You'll know where to find me, right?"

"Of course, sir. Enjoy your time, but don't stay in too long, though."

The man gave a small laugh.

"Alright, alright."

With that the manager continued his business and the man went on his merry way.

He walked down the gentle slope that led into the garden. This was his second most favourite place in the hot spring spa house, ever since he started working there. Tea leaves for their excellent tea was picked from the very ones whose leaves contributed the scent of the mountain air. Little flowers of light blue and purple make the garden more dainty. There was also an old peach tree whose fruit were ripening well, though few.

Inhaling the mountain air subtly flavoured with tea, peach and the night wind, he sat down on the bench nearest the peach tree. There were a few people there, a young couple sitting on a bench, a group of middle-aged men sharing a joke amongst themselves on one of the tables, and there was a familiar face, a frequent visitor from the next town.

The man had seen him before, a lot of times actually. He seems to enjoy the hot springs almost as much as Sano did, always coming, alone or with a few friends, then at this particular time, moon or no moon, he was always at the garden. Sano had thought about speaking to him, just for the heck of it, but he hasn't; he felt he never found the right situation. Firstly, it seemed rude to suddenly disrupt someone doing whatever it was that someone was doing, secondly, they were only acquaintances, and third, he wouldn't know how to, rather, know what to say.

"It seems I've gotten Rinko's habit." he thought to himself, smiling at the thought. So he did learn a little something from her.

As soon as he recalled the spectacled friend of his, one of the staff waitresses came up to him and presented him with his tea. A small sip from his personal tea cup (a tradition passed down from the first owner [AN: more on that later]) made him smile. There's nothing like freshly brewed tea.

He turned to the girl to thank her for bringing the tea. When he did, he noticed her eyes stole a glance at the side, although it was almost as fast a blink, he wasn't really sure.

She quickly asked how the tea was. Sano answered his delight in a casual manner and with that, the girl bowed and left. Sano saw her leave, but he swore that her attention turned once again, in the slightest of gestures, to the same side he saw her eyes turn from. An inexperienced person would simply shrug off the thought as a simple blink, but Sano felt as though the blink was to hide the fact she was looking, or at least opting to, at something, or someone.

He looked around as he sipped some more of his tea. It wasn't the young couple, there were more or less in front of him. It wasn't the group of men on the table since they were all the way on the other side. He smiled a little, when the answer dawned to him.

"This looks interesting. I'd better not interfere." he thought to himself.

He drank more of his tea and watched the moon and the stars. He recalled when the gang had gotten together once before, and sat on Ueki's house's roof. They all looked up and saw the sparkling night. The moon was also out that night, and they stayed up talking about the future and constellations.

* * *

"_Hmm. That one looks like the weaver." _

_Ai pointed it out._

"_Nah, that star is way too far left of the third one. And look there's even one that's too close to the fifth."_

_Annoyed, Ai pouted._

"_Fine, Hideyoshi, where's the weaver then?"_

_The yellow-haired youth with the thick eyebrows surveyed the night sky with inspecting eyes. _

"_Mmm... I think... That one! That group over there." he pointed it out with much childish pride._

"_You think?" Ai's tone was critical._

"_I'm sure." His tone was set in stone._

_Looking in the direction of where the monkey man pointed out, she quickly retorted._

"_Well, in my opinion, that star representing her head is too far from the rest."_

"_Well, you couldn't find her either; what makes you so sure?"_

"_My gut feeling is one of the most accurate in the world." she stuck out her tongue at him._

"_Oh yeah? Like you were a good judge of that ice cream you bought. Hmph! I had to carry you to the hospital myself."_

" _*gasp* I was having a bad day! You can't simply judge me like that!"_

"_And you can't judge me about the constellation either, so nyeh to you too." he returned her raspberry. _(AN: for those who don't know, the term "blowing raspberries" means to stick your tongue out at someone and make the "blrrrt!" sound with it. It's fun to use. :D )

_Ai's face looked really annoyed. She pulled the boy's ears; he gave out a yell, much like a little boy would. Ai's hands were well-practiced because she had done many reprimands to Ueki before. Hideyoshi struggled in vain. _

"_Rinko! Tell this monkey man that what I pointed out earlier was the constellation of the Weaver."_

_Rinko was silent._

"_Rinko?" Ai had finally let go of Hideyoshi and the boy was rubbing his red ears. _

"_Hey are you-"_

"_Mutter... mutters... Today is... So that means... and we're in the northern hemisphere... and the moon is... and the North Star is... mutter... mutters"_

_The girl was thinking so hard it gave her an aura of being untouchable until she was done with her logic. Ai realized it and backed down. Even Hideyoshi had forgotten the little argument._

"_Hey, don't overdo it. We'll be too old once you finish." Sano called out._

_Rinko slowly turned to him with a glare that could shake off even the most unruly of Hell's beings. Sano suddenly felt a chill down his spine and hastily resumed to looking at the sky._

_Ueki began saying words. Familiar constellation terms came out of his mouth as he was pointing at the sky. Ai looked at the green-haired boy with a little hope. _

"_Ueki, can you really see them?" The girl asked the boy her age._

"_Huh? See what?"_

_An exasperated and bemused expression fell on her face. "The constellations, you can see them?"_

"_Well, sorta."_

_Ai, Hideyoshi, and Sano turned their full attention to Ueki. Even Rinko broke from her "trance". _

"_See that star over there?" He pointed up. Everyone looked. _

"_See that one over there?" He moved his finger left. All eyes followed._

"_And now see the little row of about five stars below those two?" he traced the curve. Everyone nodded._

"_What's that constellation?" Ai asked._

"_The Face." He answered with a gazed fixed at the star lines he just drew. _

"_I don't think I've ever heard of that one before. Why is it called 'the Face'?" Hideyoshi asked. _

"_Because, ", everyone readied themselves for a little history, since what was a constellation unless it had a legend or story to it?_

"_- the two stars are the eyes and the curved row of the five stars make the smile." _

_Everyone nearly lost their balance upon hearing that. _

"_That was it? This whole time, a simple face?" Sano was trying to be a little more hopeful because Ueki was unpredictable sometimes. _

_Ueki turned to Sano with a determined look. Sano was anticipating something great because of Ueki's expression. _

"_Yup that's all there is. I made it up." _

_They all sported dumbstruck faces. _

_The boy continued, "There's the Swirl, there's the Flower, there's the Ribbon, there's the Key..."_

_Ai proceeded to reprimand the boy the way she knew how: thumps on the head._

"_You ninny! Those aren't even real constellations."_

"_Hey! Stop it! I never even said they were the real ones."_

_Ai calmed down a bit. "You do have a point."_

"_Besides, wasn't that the same thing the people in the past probably did? Name stars that was familiar to them?"_

"_Actually, that's how the constellations got their stories and names in the first place. In particular seasons of the year, early astronomers noticed the same clusters of stars pop up. Every spring it was like this, every summer, it was different from the patterns in the spring nights, followed by fall, and then the winter too. Soon, people began to make patterns and giving them names so as to make it easier to mark the beginning, the height and the end of the season. These were achievements made by the primitive people that contributed to our date-time system today."_

_Rinko had said a mouthful. Everyone took in all the information. Seeing all their faces made her feel a little important because she had imparted a little knowledge to them. _

"_Oh, I get it. It makes sense now." Hideyoshi looked up once more._

"_Hmm... then the predictions thing must've become popular so they'll time important dates. But... how about the fortunes?" _

"_I'm not really quite sure, Ai. Maybe it's because each season they thank, or blame, their gods for something. Then each of the patterns had some association with that god or those gods in some way, and then people born on the days when those signs were in the sky had a particular personality, they noted, related to the name or history of the pattern. Or maybe it's all real future-seeing stuff."_

_Ueki suddenly piped up and stopped his "constellation-making."_

"_Really? Is that how it all happened? I thought that they only named those things for fun, told everyone else and they soon followed too because they'd want to try and see the patterns for themselves."_

_Rinko, Ai and Hideyoshi made a face._

"_What? What did I do now?" Ueki remained clueless._

"_Hey, at least they found a little comfort in seeing a bit of the future." Sano had spoken._

_They all fell silent. Everyone then looked up._

"_It's just nice to see the stars with all your friends. That's what I think." He continued. He was talking about the simple admiration for the grandeur that nature had to offer them. Knowledge and stories just added more beauty to them._

_With that, Ueki headed for his room. Footsteps and boxes could be heard. After a crash of a few items, Ueki reappeared. He got up on the roof carrying a big book and binoculars. _

"_Here." He tossed the book to Ai and the binoculars to Sano._

"_Let's look for them, for real."_

_

* * *

  
_

Sano resumed drinking his tea.

It would seem it would be a while before anyone was looking to leave the garden.

He looked up at the stars again. This time, he tried to find the constellation they called the Skipping Stone.

* * *

_They all shared the book that night and took turns with the binoculars. It'd good to know that they did spot a few, and were quite excited when they did. Then, like magic, Ueki's sister called them for a late night snack. _

"_Your sister is still awake?" Rinko asked._

"_She's like a lioness. Knowing I'm still up, she will be too."_

_He headed inside and Ai and Rinko followed._

_Hideyoshi absorbed himself in the book._

"_Hideyoshi, what are you trying to find this time?"_

"_Hmm... huh? Oh I'm trying to find a particular group of stars."_

"_You aren't coming inside for some tea first?"_

"_Nah, could you leave one for me?"_

"_Well, alright." Sano joined the other three inside. _

_After thanking Shoko, she joined them for the snack. _

"_What were you guys doing up there, all excited and what not?"_

"_You heard us?" Ai nearly choked on her tea._

"_It was hard not to. There were repeated thuds coming from the ceiling." _

_She was always with a pleasant smile. Everyone felt embarrassed for that. That is except for Ueki._

"_We're sorry-" Ai began, only to be cut off by Ueki._

"_Tell me, sis, how loud were we?" Ai's face fell._

"_Oh quite loud." _

_Cupping her left ear with the nearest hand, she aimed it at the ceiling of Ueki's room._

_After a few quiet moments, "There it goes again."_

_Rinko volunteered to talk to Hideyoshi. She set her tea down and went to the balcony. She didn't come back down. Puzzled, Ai went after her, but she too didn't come back. Sano followed and so did Ueki and his sister. Standing out on the balcony, they found the three at the roof looking intently at the sky, then shifting their eyes quickly at the book. Hideyoshi seemed to be pointing at something then tracing it. The two girls were following his hand. _

"_Uh... what are you guys up to?" Sano asked them with a comical expression on his face. _

"_Come on up, you guys," Rinko helped them all up._

"_Hideyoshi found interesting."_

_They all gathered around Hideyoshi._

"_We all saw these constellations, right?" the monkey man asked._

"_Yeah, it was the Warrior, the Crane, the Spear, and the Little Dragon." Sano answered._

"_Well I saw there were stars that didn't belong to those clusters and I formed some... kind of... pattern."_

"_Interesting..." Rinko said._

"_Oh, you're trying to make your own constellations, then?" Shoko gave Ueki the greatest idea._

"_I'll be right back." Ueki dashed off again to his room._

"_Own? Oh no, we were just looking at the stars trying to find some conste-" Ai hastily explained, but Ueki had already come back, with him a pencil and paper._

_He grabbed the book and traced the four constellations and the out of place stars. They all peered at the paper as Ueki looked hard at it. _

"_What are you thinking, Ueki?" Ai's voice was curious._

"_Hmm... The Thinker! ... No, that isn't it." _

_He fell silent. Hideyoshi looked at the stars again. "Maybe... The Fan?"_

_Rinko's turn, "It doesn't suit it... how about the... the, um, the ... The Pentagram?"_

"_It's not it either." Sano remarked. He caught on fast._

_Ai was confused. "What are you guys talking about?"_

"_I think they're trying to think of a name for those out of place stars, Ai." Shoko gladly informed her._

_Ai took the paper and looked at it. She turned it this way, and that way and even all the way upside down. She concentrated very hard, and then finally, she took the pencil. After a few scribbles, she was done._

"_The Skipping Stone!" _

"_What?" They all turned to her._

"_It's perfect. The stars are all out of place, but it's like skipping from one cluster to another."_

_After her explanation, they all looked up again. The pattern Ai drew on the paper made an oval of some sort. She was right. The shape of the stone was formed by skipping from constellation to constellation. It was... kind of like their friendship. No matter where one was, they would all meet each other one way or another, no doubt._

"_The Skipping Stone, ei?" Hideyoshi practiced the name, while looking up, trying to remember the stars' positions. _

"_That's wonderful, Ai. It really suits them, doesn't it?" Shoko was always so supportive._

"_Great name, Ai." Everyone was all nods and smiles. Ai flushed a little because of their compliments._

"_Aww. It was nothing." She was trying her best to be modest._

"_I hope we'll all remember this." _

_Rinko thought she had said that in her head._

"_I wish we'll never forget this."_

_Sano had spoken out loud. Rinko turned to him. It was odd, that they'd had the same stroke of thought. Nonetheless, she smiled at him. _

"_That's just what I was thinki-" she started to reply. Hideyoshi suddenly brought his arm down on Sano and hooked him in a brotherly hug._

"_Amen, brother! Now, Ueki, may I have some snacks now?"_

"_Why don't you all come inside? It's already very late." _

_Shoko led the way._

_While they were eating, Sano tapped Ueki's shoulder._

"_Hey, Ueki, can I have a copy of that sketch?"_

"_Sure thing, Sano. There's paper over there."_

_Sano went to the table for paper and started to draw. Rinko came up behind him._

"_Sano, when you're done, may I have-" Rinko fell silent. Sano wondered why._

"_Hey Rinko," he turned and saw that her eyes were wide. Quickly, he changed the thought of his question to something more befitting, "why is your face like that?"_

_Rinko stifled a laugh. Sano was even more puzzled. Rinko suddenly burst out laughing._

"_Why are you laughing? Is there something funny?"_

"_Look at your drawing! It's so far from the original one Ueki made!"_

_Sano felt annoyed, so he defended himself. It started one of their common cat-dog arguments._

"_Oh yeah? I wanna see you try and do something better! I'll bet it'll take a million years just for you to finish since you'll be too busy fixing every little detail before getting whole picture."_

"_Well, at least mine would be more accurate that that scribble of yours. Heck. What are these lines for anyway? They look like the scrawl of a three-year old!" she shot back._

"_At least I won't be an old granny by the time I'll actually use my copy! Hah!"_

"_Why you-"_

_With that, Rinko grabbed a clean sheet of paper, a pencil from the desk and forced Sano to give her some space on the chair. She elbowed him a little to give her space for her on the desk to draw. As soon as she 'slowly' finished one line, Sano had pushed her to the side so that he could continue drawing. They fought over the little space, and competed over who could draw the best copy. _

_They were funny to watch, struggling for space like that. Shoko took the snacks and tea away, but they still went on. After a few more moments, exasperated sighs came from the two of them._

"_There!" They both stood up in opposite directions and showed their three friends the work they've done. Though panting heavily, they stood proud._

"_Umm... Are you sure you guys are alright?" Hideyoshi gave the papers in their hands a questionable look._

"_What is that supposed to be? All I see are scribbles." Ueki pointed at their drawings._

_They both turned their papers to face them. Shocked faces replaced their determined ones from earlier._

"_Your pushing me made my hand move!" Rinko said._

"_Yeah? Well, you taking most of the seat made me lose my grip on the pencil!" Sano said in defense._

"_You already had a head start; I should've gotten more time with the desk. You said it yourself!" she wagged her finger at him_

"_I was about to finish up, but you butted in and threw me off before I did!"_

_Sano made a move to get the paper, to finish up his work. His gaze never left Rinko's as he felt the surface of the desk for the paper. His hand had wiped the desk clean._

_Wait, the paper should've been where they left it: at the desk. The surprise showed on Sano's face, he looked at where his hand was. The desk was clear of any paper._

_Then that must mean..._

"_The balcony!" Sano ran to the balcony._

_He saw the paper gently flutter away into the suburb's shade of night._

"_What is it, Sano?" Rinko's tone hadn't differed from their argument. She went over to him and looked out the balcony. She saw something white disappear into the shadows. Both their faces fell pale._

"_...guys?" Ai broke the silence._

"_You didn't put a paper weight, knowing the balcony was open?" Rinko flicked Sano's forehead._

"_Hey, you were the last one to come inside, you should've known too!" he answered, rubbing his forehead._

_Sano had just pointed an accusing finger at Rinko, and she, hands into fists, when a thump on both their heads silenced them both. Ai was looking at them with annoyed eyes._

"_Knock it off, both of you!"_

_They quieted down. They looked at each other, feeling a little silly._

"_...Sorry." They reluctantly apologized to each other for their pride had just toned down._

"_Hey, hey, now. We could always draw another one. I mean, I just got it off the book." Ueki quickly gave a reassuring promise._

"_Better yet, let's have it photocopied, or photographed."_

"_Hideyoshi's right. This isn't something to fight over, again." _

_Ai then proceeded to close the balcony. Ueki had already begun drawing the map again. Hideyoshi remained seated on the desk chair._

"_Hey, Sano, I want to say sorry for that outburst earlier. I just wanted a copy of the star map too."_

"_It's alright, no harm done." He then rubbed his forehead. "Well, not much at least." He added with a good natured chuckle._

"_Yeah, sorry about that too." She held up her hand, signing for him to shake it. He did._

_

* * *

  
_

Since he was in a different location, the orientation would be different. He found it nonetheless, still above him, still above all his friends.

As he was lost in the memories of his pre-university years, the men have left and the young couple were already walking away. All who was left was the frequent visitor.

Sano looked into his teacup and saw that it was nearly empty as well.

"It's as good a time as any." he thought to himself.

He stood up, and walked on over to the man so intently looking at the not yet full moon.

"Only three days away, huh?"

"That it is, sir. That it is."

Sano turned to face the boy. He was still looking at the moon, like a fly to an ultraviolet bug zapper. The young man was a lean boy, not too athletic, or even the slightest hint of muscle mass, for that matter, but he wasn't frail. His hair sort of shone against the moonlight, so he assumed it was either bright or a light, earthy colour. He seemed tall and on his head was a gentle face. This was someone who enjoyed the simple things, it appeared. Sano finished up his tea, went to the nearest empty table and placed it there.

"So, boy, what's your name?"

"Hageru Kiroji, sir, and twenty-two, as of next month. You can call me Kiro. I live in the nearest town from here."

"Alright. You're quite the regular here, I've noticed."

He went to stand near Kiro.

"Oh yes," The young man's tone was pleasant. "I love the tranquillity of hot springs. It really clears my thoughts. The folk tales have been correct so far: all the bad you feel inside is pushed out by the warm water and lifted away into the air, by the steam. It really purifies you."

Sano smiled; he knew there was a reason for wanting to talk to Kiro.

"I feel the same way." Sano breathed in. Exhaling soon after, he continued, "I have a scar over my left eye because of an accident at one, but I never hated the hot spring for it. It's healed over a bit, though."

Kiro turned slightly to try and take a look at the scar, trying not to be so obvious. "I see."

He noticed the boy's face turn quickly away as soon as he turned to face him.

Sano gave a small chuckle. "It's alright. I'm not ashamed of it."

"Ah, no, I was..." Kiro gave a small laugh in return. "Alright, you got me."

Silence befell them for a few moments. Looking at the moon seemed to lift a little of the awkwardness.

"She is so beautiful..." Kiro muttered to himself.

"Pardon me," Sano was as wide-eyed as can be, "but who are you referring to?"

Sano immediately thought of Hatori, the waitress who gave him his tea earlier. He thought that Kiro was referring to her. She had only started working there about half a year ago. And if memory serves him correct, he began to come in every week a month after that.

The tall young man turned to Sano in a casual manner. The way he smiled complimented his dream-like expression.

"The moon is. Her light is soft, like a mother soothing a child who's frightened of the dark."

He kept his thoughts to himself, but he brashly asked a question that would mean otherwise.

"What is it about this establishment that makes you come here regularly, asides the hot springs?"

Sano only realized the mistake only after he had finished. Quickly through his mind ran the way he asked the young man the question: was his tone suggesting something? Was his face smug-looking? Did it offend him?

He was nervous, but kept a straight face as he watched Kiro's relaxed eyes turn in thought. After a few heart-pounding moments of silence, Kiro laughed a little and turned to Sano.

"Sir, I find this establishment in one of the most proper viewing points for seeing the valley. In addition, aren't the towels and robes here commended as one of the best?"

Sano let go of all the worry and let an amused face on. Admittedly, the boy was animated when it came to describing things.

"Not only with the design but the material: the softness, the absorbency. And the meals served, they are as light as they should be, for people are really supposed to be here for the hot springs. Yes, this place provides excellent service, and its surrounding scenery is nothing short of dynamic."

Sano gave a slight chuckle. "Tell me, then, are you a critique, Kiro? Or have you memorized the local paper's review on this place?"

"Not at all, sir. A humble writer who makes his daily wages by working for the local news paper and a part-time job at a tea cup artisan's shop. I hope to write a book one day."

"I can tell by the poetic way you speak. You're an interesting person to have as a guest here. I'm glad of that."

"Now it's your turn, sir. You are the owner, Sano Seiichiro, correct? Please share with me a little of your history with the hot spring spa house."

"I worked here for about seven years now. I got a job as a simple janitor/waiter. Over time, the ownership was handed to me. If you've noticed, most of the staff here are janitor/waiters, save a two cooks and the owner and his staff manager.

You'd expect the staff manager to become next in line for the ownership, right? Well, the first owner made it sure everyone was trained in the same way. Then he chose who the next owner would be. The staff manager was chosen by the next owner. This is a strong tradition of this establishment."

"Interesting. How then, sir, did you come to work here?"

"After university, I was wondering about what I should do with my life. I had studied in Japanese geography and its history. I took up business since my father told me I needed to fall back on something. My lifelong dream was to find my own hot spring, and I thought knowing these would be able to help me in some way. I then told my father that I was going to find my own hot spring, and that I was going to search the whole of Japan's mountains just to find one to call mine. I even had the will to dig one up for myself, if I couldn't find one. Eventually, he let me go, after I'd promise to tell him when I did find my hot spring.

Not more than a half a year of bike rides and trekking, my friends found me. Well, actually, one of them did, and he called the others. They wanted to help me out, seeing as I was pretty ragged in my hiking clothes and resulting to ask favours from the locals for food and shelter. The villagers are very kindly people, by the way. After I told them I was fine and that they shouldn't worry about me, one of my friends showed me a brochure for this place. Although I was a bit taken aback by resorting to this, the rest became history."

Kiro turned back to moon-viewing.

"You have interesting friends, Sano."

"I don't want to brag, but they're the best people I've met in my life. If they hadn't helped, I would still be trekking and may have not found this place at all. And also, my dream might never have been fulfilled. "

Kiro smiled at the thought. He understood owning such an establishment gives one a feeling of fulfilment, and it matched perfectly with what Sano had told him. Or at least that's what his silence told Sano.

The boy may not have realized, but that thought was only partly true. Owning this hot spring spa house did give him a feeling of fulfilment. Of course, there was that other thing.

A cold wind blew. Kiro shuddered a bit and announced he was going inside.

"It was nice talking to you, Hageru."

Sano shook his hand and bid him a good eve.

"Sano, you're not coming in yet?"

"Not yet. I'll be here a while longer."

Kiro waved good bye and headed for the house. Sano imagined he was going to take a cup of tea, and then go home. He has never stayed in any of the rooms unless he was with company.

Sano looked like he went back to sit on the bench again. After heading over to the peach tree, he didn't sit down. In fact, he hopped went around it, going over the fence as he did.

He first found this out by falling. He had sat on the peach tree after a long afternoon of tending to the garden. He was admiring his work of the place. He leaned back, but forgot in his tiredness, and the heat, there was nothing to lean back on except the feeble branches of the old matron. He saw the sky, the noon sun, and then black. He then heard a thud. Naturally, he landed on his back.

It took a few minutes for his eyes to open. And when they did, the sunlight hit them first. Quickly, he attempted to get up, but found himself hurting a little. After a few painful twists and strains, he was able to sit properly. He crawled into the shade. Lying face up while the noon sun was still out roasted him a bit, even if it was for just a few minutes.

Under the peach tree, he realized some of the cuts and bruises that he had. Feeling the earth he leaned on, he looked up. He judged that he'd fallen about six feet, give or take. With luck, he landed in a spread out position, which also spread out the shock his body received. He checked the rest of his body and found he could get up. As he did, he found something that made him believe he wasn't awake, that he was still on the ground, unconscious.

Something he had dreamed about ever since he had first experienced one.

Something he longed to call his own.

He had found a hot spring.

He was suspicious though. It was right here, only at a lower level than the establishment, and it was small. Maybe it had been overlooked by many of the guests. He mustered up all his will power to not immediately jump in.

Upon closer inspection, it was covered in leaves. No one has been taking care of this, it seems. The bushes that scratched him earlier were unkempt; obviously either wild or neglected.

The water was still clear. A simple raking of leaves would clear up the surface. He placed his hand in.

_Heaven._

The water was warm.

From that day, he kept it secret. Only to his staff manager did he say of this because he was second in command, and they'll be asking him when he disappears. The staff members and the owner were only allowed to use the communal one when they had day-offs, so Sano would use the excuse of not using the communal hot springs on his day off, or using them later. And when he went there, it would appear he was headed for the garden.

In addition, no one questioned the authority of the current owner, so there really isn't a problem with Sano's situation.

He landed on a rock he had placed there four years ago. It had been a miracle no one paid too much attention to the loud thud when he dropped it into the garden from the forest near the parking area. Explaining the hole had been fairly easy, because he promised to fix it right up.

At least he didn't need to fall from a hazard of a height just to soak in his secret spring. In fact, he had neatened up the place for himself. He added a makeshift where you could change without fear of anyone finding out from above. There was even a lamp when he decided to go at night.

He passed by the bushes, which he trims at specifications, and took off his wooden slippers. He undid the tie of his robe and took that off as well. A foot at a time, then his whole self, he let enter into the welcoming waters of his haven.

Every time he would do this, it was as though he was using it again for the first time.

"I'll never get tired of this." he sighed to himself, as the steam lifted all his troubles away.

* * *

Hello! Since this is at plain sight a fan-made fictional story, or as some would simply just say, a fan fiction, the characters are not mine, except for maybe the staff of the hot spring spa house Sano now works in (btw, that place still doesn't have a name).

I would very much appreciate that readers leave some reviews. It's my first story to be published here, so I'm kind of nervous about how the RinkoXSano/SanoXRinko fanbase (not to mention the rest of the Law of Ueki fanbase who might happen to catch sight of this story) would take it.

Also, this story is a shout out to say: more RinkoXSano/SanoXRinko fan stuffs please! :D (art, stories, _doujinshi's in english_... etc. ^^ )

I hope the readers have enjoyed themselves with the first chapter (and .-lixue-dume-. hopes she gets on with the rest of the story as well ^^)

AAT*: I hope that you won't think I've stolen an idea from some one else's story. I assure you mine was fished from the very depths of my own brain (seriously, it's hard to think of a decent story that comes out as "your own" with out someone feeling that it came from somewhere else). And, apologies if the first chapter is pretty long :P

_*"And Another Thing"; I made that up myself, unless it already exists of course, feel free to use it ^_^ ( I know I felt free to use it the time I was typing this down. Hehe)_


	2. Chapter 2

_**--- Enter the Beastly Beast of Beasts**_

Silence, steam and warm water enveloped him. He laid there for an hour or so, relaxing away. After some time, there was rustling in the bushes.

Sano sleepily opened his eyes. In the next second, he lay low in the water. The rustling continued, this time even louder.

He slowly turned to face the bushes as he still hid himself in the water. Moving slowly, so as not to make any splashes, he reached for the nearest object that could be turned into a projectile. His hands felt around the ground and came across a pebble. He readied his hand above the water and waited.

At the instant the rustle was heard, he threw the pebble straight at the bushes. All was quiet after he heard it hit. Feeling proud that he hadn't lost his touch, Sano relaxed once more in the steaming water.

Before he could settle in, another sound caught his attention. It was quite odd, and even more so, it came from the same place the rustling did. Curious, he went to get his robe. The slippers were left in his haste, but he had the lamp. A few moments were all he needed to see that he had hit an animal of some sort.

He watched it struggle to make the last, but a weaker sound comparing from earlier. The furry little body had stopped moving. Fearful of what might have happened, Sano quickly put on his sandals and hurried up to garden's level. He brought the animal to the staff room on the first floor. He quickly took a towel and made a sort of cushion for the creature.

It looked too small for the towels, but he had no choice. He ran to the front desk and asked for the telephone and the phone number for the nearest vet. The women in charge of the desk that evening looked at each other. While one went to look at the local pages, the other asked her boss why.

"I've found a wounded animal outside, right by the garden."

The long-haired woman could only gasp. She immediately called the operator. The other woman looking through the local pages stopped and then asked if there was anything she could do at the moment.

"The animal's in the staff room. I've already placed it in a pile of towels."

They both went to the staff room with haste. The creature was still there, lying in the towels Sano had placed it on. But there was a noticeable difference: the towels were stained a dark colour everyone was too familiar with.

The woman with her black hair in a bun and usual flower hairpiece took charge. She told her boss to get boiled water from the kitchen.

The cooks were busy as they had to orders to fill. One of their aids who just came back from serving the middle aged men was able to assist Sano. The staff member asked to why he needed a bucket of boiled water. Sano quickly said there was no time to explain, leaving the young man baffled. Before he could after his boss, one of the cooks called him over to deliver a tray to the upstairs.

He came back with a fresh face towel and the bucket of water. The bubbling had already stopped, leaving securely clean water. It seemed the woman has had experience with this kind of thing before. She dipped the face towel in the water and gently wiped the now bleeding animal. It wriggled little, feeling the pain, but it submitted to her gentle strokes.

Sano could only watch; he had never owned any kind of pet, much less hit any animal accidentally or this severely before. The first thought that came into his mind was that of Rinko. This looked incredibly bad on his part. Guilt piled up, but he was determined to help. He went to check on the other employee of his, the one on the phone for help.

Most of the guests were in their respective rooms or were eating in the multipurpose ones. None of them passed the main hall, so none of them saw, or heard the commotion. The person in charge of the souvenir shop, however, wanted to find out what was going on.

He approached the desk where his boss was waiting for the woman on the phone.

"Chief, anything happening that I should know?" his tone, coloured with curiosity and readiness.

Sano turned and faced his employee, and friend. Should he tell him? Thinking quickly, this person might know something that could be of help. Then it hit him; the girl already cleaning up the animal was someone the person argues with a lot, so he may not be of much help after all. But, after all, he was a friend.

He risked the argument that may ensue, "There's an injured animal in the staff room. Minoko is already looking into it, but we could use more hands."

The sound of her name was enough to make the man raise his eyebrow in annoyance. It complimented the frown that took place of his smile earlier.

"Please go find the-" Before Sano could tell him what to do, Yoshiro excused himself from the shop, putting a sign up saying he was on break. He stepped quickly toward the hall leading to the staff room. His face looked like he was going to explode.

Sano simply hoped nothing bad would come out of this as he went around the front desk to find the first aid kit.

The woman was still on the phone trying to get a hold of the operator. They made her wait a fairly long time. Sano was hastily rummaging through the drawers and cabinets of the desk. When he finished, he found Aiko tied up with the phone wire.

Apologies were made, and he spun her around to untie her. Good thing no one was around to see that fiasco. She was dizzy, but she still had enough balance to tell Sano what he could do to get help.

"Sir, if you're looking for a first aid kit ... (inhale, exhale)..., there's one in the... (inhale, exhale) ... upstairs." With that said, she leaned on the desk for support now. The dizzy caught up with her.

After giving one more apology, he ran upstairs to find the first aid kit in the second floor. He looked through the cabinets where they kept the towels and the futons. Next he looked at the drawers of the wooden dressers in the second floor staff room. He left quite a mess. Nevertheless, he prioritized finding the kit, making a promise in his mind that he was going to clean up afterwards. He eventually found them and quickly came running downstairs.

He made his way toward the staff room.

The animal, he saw was being tended to very gently by Minoko and Yoshiro. In fact, these were the rare times they actually didn't argue. For that, Sano breathed easier.

"Here they are."

He handed the box over to Yoshiro. The young man with an orange bandana promptly opened the box and got out the bandages.

He swiftly wrapped the creature where the blood was coming from its body. He laid it down on the soft towels, stroking it gently. The bandages appeared to be just right, not constricting, and not too loose either. Yoshiro knew his paramedic procedures well. Minoko did a good job too; the blood wasn't staining the bandages yet.

Seeing the animal bandaged on its right forelimb, on the middle of its body, and right in the middle of its forehead, all the people in the room felt sorry for the poor thing. Even more so for Sano; he had added to its injury.

"Where exactly did you find her, Sano?"

Minoko's gaze never left the animal. She wasn't answered either.

Sano fixed his eyes on it. It was rich cream-coloured with brown markings on its ears, tail and all paws save its left one, that were almost an earthy red-violet, or maroon. Then again, it was difficult to tell because under the light right now, it looked reddish. Its face was small, its body lithe, and its paws, though not smaller than your average cat's, were dainty-looking. Its claws looked trimmed, its coat gave a healthy sheen, and its overall appearance was that of a fit, and well-groomed house cat. But he saw that there was no collar. This cat seemed out of place in the mountain. Its appearance alone might have passed off as a special breed. And that normally means that it belongs to a wealthy owner, who is usually keen on making his or her pet as safe and comfortable as possible.

"Agreeably, it's too small to be out in the mountain on its own. It must belong to someone." Sano concluded this in thought.

"It must've strayed from the village." Sano finally spoke.

After such a long silence, his voice startled Minoko and Yoshiro. Yoshiro, trying to hide the reaction, made a serious face and nodded quickly in agreement. Minoko smacked him on the back of his head. It was obvious he was startled too but he needn't hide it with a more conspicuous behaviour.

Before they could start another of their arguments, Aiko then came walking in, saying, "A vet can come this evening, Sir."

With that, everyone sighed with relief.

"Hear that? You're going to be all better, little dear." Minoko cooed the resting feline.

Yoshiro smiled pleasantly, as he fixed up the kit. Aiko joined them, even stroking the cat.

Sano watched his staff crowd around the cat. He couldn't help but smile along with them. He knew, though, that it may belong to someone else. That fact was enough to help restrain Sano from stroking the cat.

He called Aiko and Yoshiro out to get back to their posts, leaving Minoko with the cat. He then excused himself, saying he had to clean up the mess he made with the cabinets and the drawers.

He slowly walked up the stairs. He didn't feel, however, that someone was watching him.

Fixing up the futons and the towels were normally not supposed to take too long a while, but with the events that have happened tonight, Sano was slower than a snail over desert-dry ground. He was thinking and thinking and this slowed his pace in folding up the sheets. Luckily for him, he only messed up a few layers of what used to be neatly stored futons and towels.

In his mind, he thought about how to send word of the cat being found. In his mind, he thought about how much was going to pay for the vet. He thought about how he was going to tell the others about the cat's real injury. He also thought about his first chat with Kiro. All of these swirled in his head, like how cream would in coffee, except in this case, the cream didn't mix in with the coffee. Or maybe, it just hasn't. There may be a meaning to it, or maybe it was just coincidence.

He finished with the futon and towel storage cabinet, and went on ahead to fix up the cabinet in the second floor staff room. He was about to enter when he saw a couple of the staff already fixing up the place. Realizing he took longer than he planned, he went inside anyway, apologized, and thanked them. Being lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice a couple of his employees had passed by.

He came over to help them, but when one of them said that the vet had already arrived, he excused himself and made haste for the stairs.

Aiko saw the look on her boss's face and immediately directed him to the staff room.

He nodded to signify his thanks and headed for the room. Minoko was watching a man in a black shirt. The man sat on the floor with his back turned to Sano. Next to him was a small bag that was open. Nearby Minoko was a thick dark green jacket, most likely belonging to the doctor. Sano approached the waitress who also worked at the front desk in order to get a better view of what was happening.

The doctor looked up and saw Sano. As plain as day, the vet had just finished carefully removing the bandages. Amazingly, the cat didn't stir; it was still asleep.

"Sir, I'll be in need of your help, so don't go anywhere just yet. I've already informed this young lady here of what needs to be done."

Sano was caught unawares when the vet had started to speak. Everything had been silent since he entered the room. He understood it, none the less.

"Alright." He then faced Minoko.

"The little dear just needs her wound cleaned properly, and since it was found that she had a broken limb, she will need to have a cast on as well."

"Understood."

The doctor instructed them to carefully hold the cat down until he finished rubbing an alcohol for cleaning wounds. He dabbed a piece of cotton with the medicine and proceeded to apply it onto the cat's side and head. He was quick, and since the cat didn't awake to scratch them for startling it, he was gentle as he was skilful (A.N. This is the autocorrect spelling; right now, I'm not sure what the right one is).

He rummaged through his bag for another bottle, and once more dabbed another piece of cotton. This time, he was sparing and carefully applied it on the wound's localized area. After taking a bandage that Minoko had brought out earlier, he wrapped up the wound.

"This will heal in a few days. Don't get her wet, don't let her lick herself, and don't let her move too much as it might open up the wound again."

"Thank you doctor." Sano spoke for Minoko and himself.

The doctor gently set the cat down. He sat more comfortably and turned his attention to Sano and Minoko.

"For her broken limb, I'm going to have to ask you to bring her to my clinic tomorrow. The more suitable bandages and the splints are there, in addition to a more adequate operating table."

As the vet proceeded to put a fresh bandage on the broken limb, Sano thought for a moment. It would be best to do what the doctor had said. The only conflict was that tomorrow was the day the spa house was closed, in preparation for the day after, the Moon Viewing festival.

It may sound strange, but these are some reasons as to why people book to come to the hot springs. The popularity of this particular hot spring spa house is that of your local mini mart to the locals, and seen as one of the many country-side vacations by the city folk in the valley seen below the very same mountain. When it was still a small renting and care-taking business, the first owner made it sure that when it was time to celebrate an important holiday, they close the day before to prepare the entire place in order to make the day really special. His explanation was that the guests would appreciate it more, there would be a good reason to demand a higher fee, and the day would be all the more special.

It was strange, but the first owner was right. The customers grew accustomed to the practice. And they did see that there was a noticeable difference than if it would have been any other day at the spa house. This increased their reputation for people who were after celebrating the holidays in the country-side.

"What time is best to bring her to your clinic, doctor?"

The vet had just finished wrapping the cat's limb. He didn't look at Sano, but he answered, just the same.

"The clinic opens at 9 am. I suggest that you bring her over there as soon as you are able to."

Sano then turned to Minoko. She turned to look at her boss.

He took a deep breath before starting to speak. "... I-"

"It's ok, boss." Minoko had already answered his question? "I can bring her there instead."

She smiled at him. He looked at her with a puzzled look. She noticed this and in turn gave him a puzzled look.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you could become second in command tomorrow, with Tsukima acting as the head, of course."

Minoko was even more puzzled. Her boss would go out of his way for a cat he just found? He knows his duties as the boss required him to be here more than the other staff members. He even lives here. Of course, she wanted to know why he wanted to do all the work himself. She put on her most questioning face for Sano.

This particular expression of hers, known among the entire staff, meant that there is little she won't do to find something out. Sighing in defeat, he knew he had to tell her the guilty truth.

In a whispered voice he said in her ear, "I'll tell you how I found the cat."

Minoko saw the look on her boss' face. She was exuberant on the inside because she was finally going to know, but because Sano's expression was like a child who is being reprimanded by a parent, she restrained her eagerness. She faced Sano to hear him better. He fiddled with his hands, and took another deep breath.

"I was in the garden, strolling around, minding my own business when suddenly, I heard a strange sound. I was freaked out, and I started feeling tense. I know I was supposed to be alone, but something was rustling in the bushes."

Sano stopped for that moment. Minoko waited in silence for him to continue, but she too felt the anticipation of knowing grow.

"I-", he began, making a sound one could've mistaken for a breeze blowing.

Minoko leaned in.

"...I-"

She leaned in closer. Sano was certainly stalling well.

Anyone could see that this was becoming too much for Minoko, as her eye began to twitch.

"...I-I..."

There was something he couldn't say. Minoko had just about enough of this game of his. Her face was inches away from Sano's. On it was an expression of exasperation, and her eyes wide with curiosity, complimented by eyebrows arched with impatience, cemented onto his eyes. He was in clear view enough to understand the 'get-on-with-it-before-I-hurt-you' look. No one could keep anything from Minoko, especially if she _wanted_ to know what was going on.

He averted his eyes away from the girl's stare and swallowed his nervousness. Taking a few breaths, he gestured for Minoko to stand back. He himself sat comfortably once more and looked at her squarely.

"I threw a stone right at the bushes. The rustling stopped, so I thought I did scare away what was making the noise." Sano sighed. "But then, there was another noise. This time, it was a wail of some sort. I noticed it came from the same place I had thrown a stone. I investigated and found her. That moment I did, she let out a very weak sound, probably the last she could make.

Minoko listened with great zeal. She realized that her boss must've felt guilt for being the cause of the injury.

"Then after that, she was silent and didn't show any signs of consciousness. I was glad her body was still moving to her breathing when I picked her up. I brought her into the house and into the staff room, as fast as I could. And there you have it."

Sano breathed a little easier. He had just let go the bothersome feeling. It lingered because he had most of the responsibility for it, but he was certainly more relaxed now.

Minoko understood, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something strange. Why would Sano throw a stone, when, knowing him for five years now, he would have approached the bushes? He actually got startled? If he did, it was too soon.

Her eyebrows, that softened when Sano continued, arched a little once more. "Just a question, wouldn't it have been more practical if you had approached the bushes yourself? It's not like you to be afraid that someone would be right there in the garden, even if it was your usual alone-time."

Her words struck like an arrow at the target. What she said had made Sano feel that the secret was weighing heavily on his head. He looked calm on the outside, but already, he put his mind to work on a valid excuse.

With no laughs, heightened breaths, or a change in pitch, his practiced lying voice told her this:

"I didn't want anyone to find out what I was doing, whenever I was alone. It's a private hobby of mine, and if you guys ever found out, I don't think I'll ever hear the end of it."

He looked as though he nervously held back what he meant to say. She took the bait, leaned in closer, looking more eager to listen.

"You? Sano Seiichiro, with a hobby? I didn't realize you cared for these things, Sano." Her tone was like a digger who had struck oil. "Come on, you can tell me, Sano."

"I, well, I don't know." His acting was convincing enough for her, it seemed. Her face beamed with excitement. He continued.

He claims to have been writing poems in secret. The garden is the most obvious place for inspiration, and he said that he organizes his thoughts better when he is there by himself. The rustling from the bushes he immediately thought was a stalker or someone spying on him. He said he was fearful of people finding out about it, and so he decided to throw a pebble in the possible perpetrator's direction, at least, just to scare him off. (A.N. The garden is dimly lit, having lights at the start of the path and at the bases of some of the trees. This was so the people could better enjoy the night sky.) He didn't realize it was a cat.

Minoko grinned widely. To her, it was news to find out more about the 'other side' of Sano. To him, he congratulated himself on a story well-done.

"I'll be in charge, since you're so worried about the cat." With that Minoko smiled and returned to her post. Sano relaxed. She popped her head back in the room and said, "Don't worry. It won't go beyond us."

This startled him a little, but nonetheless, he expected the exact opposite to happen.

The vet, it seemed, had finished packing. Sano and he exited the staff room together and entered the main hall.

"Thank you very much, Doctor. We appreciate you for coming all the way here."

The middle-aged man took the money Aiko had left out. She smiled and bowed to show her thanks. The vet then smiled back and returned her bow.

"It's my job, and besides, many of the folk who own pets around here keep them in good shape. I reckon that belongs in one of the villages nearby."

Sano bowed to the doctor to show his gratitude.

"What's the address of your clinic, Doc?"

The man handed Sano a small piece of paper. It was a business card, actually.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Doc. Thanks again."

"You're welcome, Sir."

The veterinarian went out the double doors (A.N. In case I haven't mentioned it yet, the entire wall for the entrance had those large windows and the double doors made of glass with the frosted decorations thing on them). Sano saw that he had parked his car right in front of the entrance to the house. Most likely in his haste, he didn't bother to park in the designated area.

Sano turned to Aiko who busied herself with the recent expenses.

"What time is it, Aiko?"

She looked at her watch. "About 9:30," she turned her attention to him, "are you turning in for the night already?"

Sano yawned as he stretched his arms outward.

"I think so. Please be sure to tell the guests, you guys. Thanks.... (yawn)."

Yoshiro shook his head. Aiko looked at him and nodded. They both wore the expression of knowingness: Sano was going to watch over the cat with the attitude of a mother bear.

Minoko hadn't told them about the incident, but from the way he was acting earlier, they understood that he felt responsible for the cat's well being, as he does for everyone around him. After being with him from when he began working here, it was reading an open book.

He went in his office first.

He sat down and took a pen. He then opened the nearest left hand drawer. From what anyone could see, it was a simple drawer with many post-it pads, a stapler, a few batteries scattered everywhere, little box of paper clips, and some unused envelopes.

"I have really got to fix this." he said to himself, as he closed the drawer. There was nothing in there that he was looking for.

He then checked the right hand drawer. This one had boxes and small cases. There was one that was full of business cards. There was another that had little pins from their earlier advertisement schemes. There was also a collection of brochures, neatly held together with a fastener, of the place from before up to the present. One smaller ornate box he took out and opened. This was actually a gift from a guest who was well known for his wood work skills in the local area. His shop sold furniture to figurines, and this was very popular with the city and local folk.

In the box there were hand-made bracelets, a set of sticker photos of Ueki and the gang, and he and his friends now, and a jingle bell. Taking the bell in hand, he placed the box back in the drawer. With the pen and bell in hand, he exited the room.

As he was on his way to the staff room, he ran into Minoko. She smiled and went to her place in the front desk. She didn't stop smiling at him, but he didn't stop looking at her. What was she doing in the staff room earlier?

He nodded to return the smile and continued into the room. He closed the door after him. When he turned around, he saw that the cat was surrounded by a bowl of food and a bowl of water. Sano was surprised.

"Minoko was able to convince the cooks to make this for the cat?" He silently reasoned with himself. "Or, maybe she told them already...?"

"Ah, what the heck; it's not like it won't spread anyway."

With that settled, he sat down near the cat. It was sound asleep atop the towels it lay on. It certainly enjoyed the softness. He smiled at the thought.

He got the bowls of the food and water. At his left and at his right, the bowl with food was warm and the bowl of water was cold, respectively. The food had its scent and steam rising from it. The cook look liked he prepared them with a special spice. The smell of the chicken made his stomach grumble, but reminding himself that it was for the cat, he dutifully placed it atop the small table pushed to one corner of room. The bell, he left on the same surface.

He got one of the futons that were folded and kept at the corner of the room.

The each member of the staff had their own futon, if they ever decide to stay in the house for the night. (A.N. Theirs was bought by themselves for themselves, but it was stored at the house.) All the house's futons for the customers were all in the same pattern and colour scheme, and were monogrammed with the house's name and symbol. These were stored in cabinets, while the staff members' were stored in the staff rooms.

The futon he took was cream-coloured, monogrammed with his name, and had a blanket with a plaid pattern made of different hues of grey and blue for the lines. He unfolded it and laid it on the floor. He positioned it in such a way that when he decided to lie down for the night or woke up, a turn of the head to the left and he would see the animal.

After preparing the futon, he quietly went to the sliding door of the room and listened closely for possible passer-bys. After double-checking things, he, with the utmost caution, made his way to one of the floor boards.

He removed it and placed it aside, taking care not to make any noise. He then removed something from the secret compartment in the ground. It was another wooden box, but it was plain looking and in fact, not wood. It only appeared wooden because of the design; this metal box was a graduation gift given to him by Ueki and his friends from the old days. It even had all their signatures on the inside.

He opened the box and took out the single thing in it: a journal.

It was plain-looking, but it held a great deal of experiences from when Sano began working at this particular place. The pen he took from the office he now took apart. Inside the pen, there was a small key. He then put the en back together. With the key, he opened the lock on the notebook.

He proceeded to the page where his last entry was placed, and began writing from there. He wrote about Kiro, he wrote about the cat, and the moon-viewing festival coming up. Once in a while, he glanced at the sleeping feline. He smiled, and then returned to his writing. He ended the account saying that there was going to be much work done for the festival. He closed the notebook, returned it to the box, and returned the box into the compartment. He placed the floor board back into position. He put the key back inside the pen and rose to place the pen next to the bell.

He laid his head down on the pillow and pulled up the covers. His gaze turned to the direction of the cat. Watching her body rise and fall to her breathing made his eyelids feel the weight of tiredness. If one listened hard enough from the outside, gentle breaths of a person asleep could be heard.

* * *

Hello! I don't know if the transition from the first to this next chapter is appealing or not. I'm not to write out a cliff hanger, since, well, I doubt this story will excite many minds (the fact that the genre isn't "Action" may already be a little more than enough to spell it out), and well, I don't the reader feeling too deprived, nor the Story chaptered in the wrong way.

Reviews help. I'll keep an open mind, if you keep an open heart (and vice versa ^^)

See you in the next chapters!

AAT* I will upload a picture of the staff in my deviantart account, once I get to installing the proper scanner.


	3. Chapter 3

_**--- Enter the New Day**_

Sano found himself walking through endless grasslands. The grass was a dull green; the sky was an emotionless grey. There were no clouds, but no sun, nor moon, nor stars either.

Suddenly, from the tall grass surrounding him, there emerged a small pole. It was no higher than him. As soon as he took notice, it disappeared back into the grass. He looked around for it. When he turned his view to the left, it would appear as the though the pole had been there all along, only to quickly disappear again as soon as he turned to face it. After a while, the poles stopped appearing. The wind suddenly blew, and this blew at the tall grass. He was tickled by them, but he didn't laugh like he usually would. Instead, he pushed them away, thinking it was a nuisance. The harder he pushed them away, the more they kept on tickling him. For a while, it almost seemed like their tips were aimed at attaching themselves to Sano, as they immediately turned to where ever he was. He ran this way and that, but it was in vain. He held his breath and fought the smile that was forming on his face. Finally, there was nowhere else to go, and the tickling intensified: he laughed.

He laughed loudly in his dream. He laughed loudly in the real world. He awoke to the sound of his own laughter. And when he did, he first noticed the cat's tail was touching his face. He blinked more than once, making sure he was awake. It was true; the cat's tail was tickling him.

He sneezed when the cat's tail tickled his nose. He then got up to get ready for the day. He let out a yawn and stretched his arms wide. Looking around the room, he saw that the sun was already up: a few rays were peeking through the only small window situated near the ceiling.

His gaze travelled around the room. The sunlight gave the walls and the flooring a warm feel to it. His eyes then travelled to the cat. It was stirring. It must have been awakened by all the noise Sano was making. He watched it as it opened its eyes. It lifted its head and blinked sleepily a few times. He saw it try to move its paw to sit up, but the pain of the injury was rekindled. The animal made a pained face as it gently settled its paw back down on the towels.

It looked at its paw. It saw the bandage and inspected it. Sano, all the while looking at the cat, kept perfectly silent. His breath tightened as he watched it inspecting the bandage.

"Shoot! It might gnaw the bandage off." He said in his mind.

He then reached a hand over to the cat, in hopes of distracting it. It seemed startled by suddenly seeing something out of the blue. The cat quickly turned its attention to Sano's hand. Its eyes were wide open and it certainly breathed faster. After a few blinks its eyes moved from Sano's hand to his arm to his face.

Its bright, round, brown eyes looked at Sano. He put on his most pleasant-looking face, in hopes the cat could see that he was a person to trust. The two of them stayed this way for a while; silent and observing the one in front of them.

The cat's tail moved from where it was to the cat's side. It looked as though it was still unsure of Sano by doing so. Its head tilted to the left and to the right, as though it were looking at Sano like a large tree with many branches. It saw his face, his tan skin, his robe, and his messy dark hair.

Holding your hand out like that can get tiring. Sano carefully set his hand down in a comfortable, yet accessible distance from the cat. Surely enough, the cat followed his hand. When the hand was on the floor, it immediately shifted its view back to Sano.

Its face, he noted, was that of a normal cat but with the addition of it having rounded features. The sunlight in the room made its fur have a cleaner sheen, and now its markings could be defined as the rich warm brown with a small tinge of violet in them. He could also see a mark on the bottom of its right eye. It also had a little tuft of hair falling on top of its forehead. Its eyes, as mentioned before, were brown. They were shaped almost like how a person's eyes would look when they smiled a real smile.

Though his gaze never left the cat, his mind was wandering off. Something in him was asking about the cat, why it was there, and why it was reminding him of something. A few silent minutes passed. Then, a meow broke his thinking.

He blinked and looked at the cat again. It was swishing its tail now. It certainly didn't seem afraid of Sano anymore. Still, he wasn't sure. Putting his thoughts aside, he carefully reached his hand over the cat once more.

It meowed, while his hand approached it. It glanced at the hand, and then returned to looking at Sano. A few hesitant seconds passed and the cat meowed once more. At that point his hand was only a few inches from away from it.

He held his breath. He neared his hand to the cat's head. The cat seemed to have become just as tense because it ducked its head a little. This was maybe because it grew a little concerned about Sano's hand being hesitant a while ago. Maybe it thought that Sano had changed his mind about gentle pets to powerful slaps. He settled his hand over the cat's head.

There was a warm sensation at his palm and fingers. It passed through his arm and filled his whole being. It felt nice. He continued to stroke the cat, and it responded with a content purr. Sano just smiled at the furry little thing.

He stopped and removed his hand from its head. The cat felt that there was no one petting it anymore. It opened its eyes and turned to look at Sano, meowing for more stroking. There was something different about his smile. It seemed warm and reassuring. The cat stopped meowing, but something else made a sound. It still came from the cat, but not from its mouth.

Sano then remembered the bowls of food and water. He rose up to get them. The cat simply watched as he stood up and walked over to the small table at the side of the room. His back was turned for a while, but then he faced it again. He walked on over to the cat. The bowls he placed in front of the animal and it stared.

It inspected the food, sniffing it. It turned to Sano, meowed, and then proceeded to eat the food. Sano watched it eat. It was sort of interesting to see how it nibbled the meat, how it jerked its head to put it in its mouth, how it lapped up the water afterwards. The cat then did a strange thing: it turned to Sano and kept staring at him, meowing. He wondered if there was something wrong with the food. He came and looked at it. Aside from the fact that it had gotten cold from last night, there wasn't anything wrong. He them looked around the room. It might have seen something scurry around. He looked everywhere in the staff room, but there was nothing else hiding. Still the cat kept meowing. Its tail swishing from left to right in an increasing pace. Sano then approached the cat. He got on his knees and looked at the cat squarely in the face.

"What _is_ wrong?" He asked in a tone much like an annoyed baby sitter.

It didn't take three seconds after he spoke did he realize he had just spoken to a cat. He also looked like he was on all fours. Clapping his hand over his mouth, he sat up again and turned away. All the while, the cat just stared. As soon as Sano had his back turned, it resumed eating.

Lost in his thoughts, Sano was still turned away from the cat. He was busy thinking about how strange it felt, to speak to something that wouldn't normally talk back, or give a meaningful reply. When situations did arise when he could start talking to himself, he would remain quiet. All the talking he would do then was all to himself, and all in the privacy of his mind. He calmed down a bit. He removed his hand from his mouth. His conclusion was that he should try not to, as much as possible, to obviously talk to the animal. It a new sensation though, but he didn't feel like cultivating it for himself.

He turned to see the animal. He saw it was eating. He was about to turn his body around to face the cat, but then suddenly, it stopped eating. It faced him and meowed again. Sano was still unclear on what the meowing was for. His expression was stern now.

The cat kept meowing. Just like earlier, it didn't seem to have changed its expression or tone of meowing.

Sano turned away again, thinking about how annoying it would be to not be able to communicate with the animal. He stayed that way for a while, trying to get back at the cat by giving it the silent treatment. It crossed his mind that it was silent. His eyes were wide at the realization. It sounded strange when he thought about it, but it was possible. To test his theory, he turned a little to face the cat again.

It did begin meowing again. From the corner of his eye, he could see that it was looking at him. He turned away again. The meowing stopped. He let out a sigh that was almost like a laugh in itself. This cat was particularly shy about people watching it do personal things.

He then rose to leave the cat to eat in peace. He himself had to get ready for the day. He got the pen from the table. He then gave a small pat on the cat's head. The cat stopped eating. Its gaze followed Sano as he headed for the sliding door.

It meowed again, but something in it was different. Sano stopped and looked back. One could say that the cat almost had a curious face. His hand was on the handle of the door when the cat had meowed. His hand stayed there, but he turned to face the animal and smiled at it.

"I won't be gone long. Enjoy the food." His tone was gentle, even reassuring.

The cat watched him open the door, step out and close it. It followed his silhouette until it disappeared from view. It blinked a few times, then resumed to eating the bowl.

No one was in the main hall. Everything was quiet. The front doors were locked and the keys were on the front desk. Sano could see all the multipurpose rooms were closed and all the lights were off. Only the sunlight that fell through the glass doors and windows lit up the place. (A.N. Might I add, it was lit up beautifully  Everyone knows how the sunrise always makes rooms look warmer and objects to have a soft glow around them  )

His wooden slippers disturbed the silence that morning as he went to his office to put the pen back in its place. He checked the clock on his desk. 6:45 am. He then checked his cell phone, which was supposed to be resting on the small stand next to the clock. It was on the table, evident that someone had called or sent a text message.

He flipped it open. There were a few text messages, all of which were from the staff members.

One was from Aiko, saying that she'd be arriving today nearing the time of noon. Yoshiro said he was coming as early as eight. Minoko's text said she was going to arrive with Hatori at around eight too. Tsukima sent him a list of things needed to prepare and the prioritized tasks. One of the cooks, Takahaki, sent a message regarding the ingredients he and Raya were going to need for the noodles and other dishes. He also mentioned they were going to be arriving around seven thirty. Mitsu, Juriin, Hiroki, and Atsuhiro sent similar messages saying they would be arriving as Raya and Takahaki.

He set the phone down on the stand.

"Hmm. If I'm right, Tsukima will be here by 7:15." He laughed at the thought. No matter how early a person says he or she would arrive, you can always count on him to be earlier by at least fifteen minutes.

Another glance at the clock, one more stretch of the arms and he was out the office. He went back to the smaller hall leading to the staff room. The staff's lockers were outside the staff room, and his was there too. The staff lockers in the first floor were metal and stood at a height of three feet. These were also only used by the boys of the staff; the girls' lockers were by the upstairs staff room. Each locker had a space that was 1ft by 1.5 ft. This box-like structure had eight lockers and they were arranged in two rows of four. There were slots for sliding in a piece of cardboard or paper for one's name. They also featured the extension on the doors for placing locks. They were usually storage for their uniforms and non-work clothes, in addition to personal belongings.

A few twists and turns of the lock before him gave him access to the contents of his locker. He took out his pair of work jeans. He then closed his locker and turned to the staff room. He slid the door open and found the cat looking up at him. It meowed. He saw that the bowl that had food earlier was empty.

"You should thank Takahaki for his cooking, not me." He told the feline. It watched him walk across the room while gently swishing its tail from side to side.

He turned his attention to the cabinet on the wall. It was small, but it held all the male staff's robes and towels. The drawer compartment at the bottom held most of Sano's clothing, so he opened that. He pulled out a simple white shirt and a pair of underwear. He pushed the drawer back and proceeded to look for his towel. Once he found it, he closed the cabinet, turned around, and made his way to the door. For some reason, the cat had its head in the pillow. He noticed this and found it strange. Its uninjured paw it placed over its head and it appeared to be trying hard not to look at something. Sano shrugged it off, telling himself that he was going to find out later.

He went through the double doors and was greeted by the outside. The sun was still rising and the whole place was illuminated dramatically. Sano braved the cool morning air as he walked down the tiled path. With the sun already making its presence known, another element decided to get into the picture.

He made his way to the men's showers just as the wind started to pick up. This was situated near the entrance to the men's side of the communal spring (A.N. Just to remind you, it's the largest spring being used by the customers, and it had the two statues).

He entered the nearest cubicle, removed his robe and undergarments from the night before and turned the knob. Cold water spilled out of the shower head and splashed on his head. Now he was really wide awake. As if the morning mountain air wasn't a wake-up enough, nor were the glinting rays of the sun. The water passed through his whole body, from his scalp all the way to his toes.

He slowly exhaled the breath he was holding in from when he had turned the knob. He gave a small laugh when he saw his breath condense a little because of the cold water. He adjusted to the cold and soon stopped shivering. After a few minutes of running water, he turned the shower off. He dried himself in the cubicle and changed into the clothes he brought along with him. To dry his hair off, he left wrapped the towel about his head. With last night's clothes in one hand, he left the men's shower rooms. He headed back to the house refreshed and ready for the day.

He stopped by the lockers again. This time, it was for his sneakers. He took them out and then went into the staff room. The cat looked up at him. It immediately noticed the towel wrapped around Sano's head; he saw its eyes shift its direction slightly upwards.

Once more, he gave it a smile. "We're going out soon. The others have to get here first, though."

The cat's eyes just followed him. He set down the used clothes near the door and headed for the cabinet. Upon opening it, he sat down and proceeded to open the drawer. He took out a pair of socks. Closing the drawer, he turned around and stretched his legs out. He removed the towel from his head and placed it next to him on the floor. His wooden slippers he took off. Using the towel, he dried his feet, as they were still a wet. When he was satisfied with how dry they felt, he put on the socks. He stood up and took the wooden slippers. The cat remained watching his actions, even when he went through the doorframe. But he didn't close the doors this time.

The cat saw him, crouched on the floor and fiddling with something. Sano was putting on his sneakers and were tying the laces together. When he finished, he went back inside and picked up the used clothes, the towel, and then the wooden slippers when he stepped out of the room. He folded the clothes and towel neatly and placed them on the floor by the kitchen's entrance. He placed the slippers next to them as well.

He looked at what he'd done, and stood there a while. He looked around the main hall. He was imagining what was going to become of the place when they'd fix it up for the celebration tomorrow. He knew some important people were coming. Also, the event always attracted many customers, even if it was just for a place to view the moon. It was the spirit of the festival; and it would be like an open house tomorrow night.

He walked on over to his office. He wanted to check the list of things to do that Tsukima sent over.

"'The walls need scrubbing and dusting. The laundry needs to be done. The dough for the noodles has to be prepared. The souvenirs in storage and those arriving today have to be counted and checked. The garden has to be cleaned and cleared of fallen leaves. The grass has to be cut. The lamps had to be checked if they worked...' Great. Tsukima's always the thorough sort."

Just then, there was a rapping. Sano closed his phone and left it at his desk.

"It must be Tsukima." He thought.

Sure enough when he exited the office, his eyes immediately saw Tsukima standing right outside front doors. He waved to Sano who was already walking for the door handle. Sano pulled one of them open and then greeted Tsukima with a smile.

"Morning, Sano." He greeted him back. He went inside walked toward the staff room. Sano followed behind.

"Morning, Tsukima. Pretty cold out this early, huh?"

Tsukima knew that Sano was referring to his wearing a coat and gloves. He breathed a laugh as he was punching in the numbers to his locker's lock combination. "Yeah, that's what you get for living on a mountain. Nice look, by the way."

His hand suddenly shot up and felt his still damp hair. In fact, it was still dripping. Tsukima had seen the drops of water on the floor when Sano stood still.

"Oh, that, well..."

Sano then gave a laugh of his own. Tsukima continued to fiddle with his lock. He opened the metal door and then promptly removed his gloves. He placed them inside, along with the body bag he had with him. He closed the door, locked the lock and then proceeded to open the staff room. Sano immediately recalled the cat. He rushed to the staff room handle first and grabbed it before Tsukima did.

Now, Tsukima thought this was quite odd. He arched an eyebrow at Sano.

Looking at his mentor and first friend here, he held his breath. His heart, he could hear thumping away. Tsukima's eyes continued to question his more than unnatural actions. He then folded his arms, and stood in a pose demanding an explanation.

Sano kept looking at him. His mouth was pressed close tight and his expression unreadable, Tsukima didn't know what to make of it. He then began tapping his foot. Obviously, he was growing tired of the silence. Sano had to say it now, or he would never get the chance to explain it. He let it go.

He knew him better than the other staff members did, but he wasn't so sure how Tsukima would come to react to what he was about to say.

"There'sacatinthere."

He said it so quick, Tsukima wasn't so sure of what he heard.

"Pardon?"

"There's a cat," he began again, "in the staff room."

Tsukima's eyes widened. Sano, caught off guard, had allowed the spectacled man to open the door. It quickly slid to the side and hit the wall loudly.

Both staring in shock, Tsukima met the cat resting on the towels. Once again, it tried to get away after seeing a strange man suddenly come in. Pain stopped it in its tracks, and it slowly set itself down on the towels. Tsukima walked over to it. The cat then did its best impression of a curled up ball. It was looking up at a new human and it seemed afraid. Tsukima had gotten a good look into its eyes, now staring at him warily.

"Wait! I can expla-" Sano was cut off by Tsukima waving his hand.

He was nervous for the outcome of this meeting.

Four eyes met cat eyes and stared each other down. The soft, light brown eyes fought with the stare of the shielded, bespectacled ones. Sano, looking attentively at either of them, could almost feel the room getting bigger, bigger with the two's auras. He on the other hand was feeling squished between them.

He shrank well and deep in his own thoughts, wondering about whether Tsukima would have a heart, or if the cat would cause trouble. Would Tsukima throw it out? What would the others think? How would the others react?

A purring sound broke Sano's thoughts.

"How'd you end up in here, little fella?"

Tsukima's voice was gentle as he stroked the cat behind its ears. She purred approvingly. Tsukima then turned to face Sano.

"You can open your eyes now, Sano." His tone sounded amused. Why not? Sano's eyes were closed, and he had the expression of a father-to-be.

Aware of his status, he quickly gave a sheepish smile to Tsukima. He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing as his staff manager didn't react as badly as he thought.

Silence befell them, but at least Sano wasn't worried anymore. Tsukima busied himself by stroking the feline gently. The cat itself was already purring to her contentment at the friendly strokes of a new friend.

Deciding that he should leave Tsukima to get a little more acquainted with the cat, Sano stood up and prepared to leave the room. This, of course, didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't think you can waltz your way out of an explanation, Sano Seiichiro."

Sano was surprised by the sound of his voice breaking the silence earlier on, felt a small jolt rush through him. He stopped where he was and turned his head to face his staff manager. Tsukima stood up to level Sano. With his left hand, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, placing the lens where he needed them to be, so as to see his former mentee and friend more clearly. Behind those spectacles, his eyes were half lidded complementing his expression of smugness.

He approached Sano and stood next to him, an arm around his friend's opposite shoulder. Sano's own face expressed a slight nervousness, goofy smile included. He remained that way as he waited for Tsukima to speak.

"While we work, your story will help pass the time, won't it now?"

Sano sighed in defeat. It was inevitable, sooner or later.

The two set exited the room and walked down the hall. They left the view the cat had of the doorway. It stared through the closed doors, and watched their shadows continue on leftward of the hall.

All alone, it watched the doorway a little while longer. It twitched its ears up, hearing for possible sounds of anyone coming near the staff room. Faintly, there were some footsteps, and a couple of doors opening and closing, but those were from Tsukima and Sano. The feline then rested its head atop its paws, curling up into the numerous soft folds of the towels.

It looked at its food bowl, eyelids relaxed. It was thinking about finishing the meal later, it would seem. A yawn came out and its eyelids fell into place. Soon its feline physique was moving in a slow, rhythmic pattern, familiar to everyone as sleep.

* * *

Hello! I'm thinking you may be thinking it's strange how the chapters keep getting shorter. Sorry about that! The next chapters should probably have a better content. :D

Oh well, I do hope you readers don't forget to review if you have to speak your mind about something with regards to my story.

(This was supposed to be read by my friends before I submit it here, but, yeah, I got a little surprised by another SanoXRinko story after typing in the Search. And I felt that I might be accused of "borrowing/taking/using" something of that author's plot. No hard feelings from me though, but I do hope you're also understanding, dear readers. ^^)


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